Being an entrepreneur comes with its own set of demands and challenges: Neeta Nagpal, Director, Nsquare Technologies

My company was also part of the paperless Parliament project. Earlier, each time the house was in session, proceedings and agendas were printed and bundles of paper was used on a day-to-day basis, with the implementation of this new project, these proceedings were now available in form of widgets which could be accessed easily on iPADS

My journey as an entrepreneur
This has been a long journey, full of adventure and adrenaline. I started Nsquare in Delhi as fax dealers, way back in 1993. Fax machines were extremely new and people hardly understood the concept in the initial days. The same year, we picked up an order of 1200 machines for PNB, one of the biggest orders given that year for these machines.

I evolved my company as the IT industry evolved, from fax, we moved to Dot Matrix printers, then to HP Inkjets, and in the following years to the complete range of IT products, from desktops, laptops to laserjets. Later the company started supplying to big organisations like Maruti and IOCL, in multiple locations, bagged annual AMCs, and provided round the clock support.

Another milestone project was the creation of HP E-store. It was built similar to the modern day e-commerce websites, only that it was specific for HP products, and used for employees of IOCL, wherein they could login and purchase products at special prices. My company was also part of the paperless Parliament project. Earlier, each time the house was in session, proceedings and agendas were printed and bundles of paper was used on a day-to-day basis, with the implementation of this new project, these proceedings were now available in form of widgets which could be accessed easily on iPADS.

When, I started this business in 1994, there were hardly any businesses in IT, let alone women entrepreneurs. Colleagues never took you seriously given that you are a woman. They believed you to be a representative, present to get orders, using a pretty face. My husband and some talented people at HP and Godrej were really supportive. They motivated me to work hard and not get bogged down by the stigma associated with women running their business.

Role model
One of my professors at RA Poddar College Of Commerce & Economics, Dr Amita Sehgal, played an impactful role in life. She was fiercely independent and motivated me to socialise and take leadership roles in college events. She knew to work her way around and inspired young
women like me.

Later on, after becoming a part of the IT industry, I met Neelam Dhawan, and was highly inspired by her. A smart and independent woman, with good hold of technological knowledge, she is a humble leader. She was among the first few women leaders in the tech industry and managed to keep her work-life balance in shape despite the demands of this industry.

Work-life balanceBeing an entrepreneur comes with its own set of demands and challenges, but also gives you some flexibility. When my children were small, I used to shuffle between office and work. Initially I used to pick them up in the afternoon and work from home following that. With time, as the children grew up, they used to come home by themselves. My family has been extremely supportive.

Women in IT – a rare breed ?Women were a rare breed in IT and engineering fields. These fields were considered to be more demanding and male dominated. With improved and better facility for communication, and shift in thinking, this phenomenon is changing. More women are exploring this field in the coming generation. The stigmas have reduced, and the society is now open to women working for longer hours, but it is still a long way to go for women.

Life aheadMoving on with technology to find answers to disruptions caused by technological advancements and quest for solutions thereon.

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